Labor Ministry plan to cut maternity leave aims at saving zl.300 million

Labor Minister Jerzy Hausner has announced plans to save zl.300 million annu ally by reducing the length of maternity leave by two months. "The women wil l get back to work sooner, making them a more attractive option for employer s. At the moment young women are employed with reluctance, as employers fear they will go on costly maternity leave," said deputy Labor Minister Jolanta Banach. Since 2001, mothers who give birth to a single child have had the ri ght to 26 weeks of maternity leave. (Zycie, p. 6) A.Z.